News

A merger between kayak giants

The big news this fall for the kayak angling community was the announcement of an unexpected merger between two of the largest names in the industry. With the explosion in popularity of bass fishing from these little plastic boats, the industry has seen unprecedented growth in both manufacturers and product offerings. The question that popped into my mind was why would there be a need to merge to popular brands? I would think these companies are stand alone winners, but there is more to the story than just successful products.

Native Watercraft, creator of the on of one of the first pedal drive kayaks, has been one of the more popular brands in the competitive bass fishing market. Bringing the “egg beater” type pedal drive “Slayer Propel” to the market competing against the more expensive Hobie Pro Angler. The Native lineup also consisted of non-pedal drive models, and has continued to be a popular choice amongst kayak anglers.

Bonafide one the other hand entered the market more recently, and with the help of Chad Hoover as an instant backer, the company was immediately a hit for the both the paddle only crowd as well as the electric motor fans. The creator of Bonafide is none other than Luther Cifers, the founder of arguably the most successful kayak fishing accessory company in the world: YakAttack. The stability and feature rich design of the SS 127 has everything a non-pedal kayak angler needs.

When I asked what brought about the merger, Tyler Brown from BIG Adventures commented “There were really three primary factors. The first was a strong philosophical alignment regarding our businesses, the industry, and the sport of kayak fishing as a whole. The second was great complementary strengths. When we looked at the strengths of each company, it became clear that both could benefit from the influence of the other. The last was simply scale. By combining the businesses, we increase the overall volume under one roof in a way that we think will improve all areas of the business.” This response was similarly echoed by Luther Cifers during the Westbrook podcast as well.

Merging two kayak companies together is going to leave some potential duplication in the products lines, with both having multiple kayak models to fit both budgets and fishing needs. Most kayak anglers have become totally committed with both the brand, and models they use. In talking with Tyler, I asked if the merger would effect the product line offerings in the near term, “A lot of that is to be determined, but near term changes are not likely.” Tyler said about the matter. “We feel that the two brands are distinct enough that their offerings don’t really have that much overlap, and if some exists, it offers customers a choice.”

Currently there are pro staff and fully sponsored professional anglers, and media personalities. When pressed on whether there will be changes in this area, Tyler commented “As of now, they are not. But again, there is a lot of work to do in the coming weeks and months, and some of the longer decisions will be made a little later.”

The Bonafide fans, and wanna be fans, have been clamoring for a pedal drive version of the SS 127. We asked if this means Luther will cave in and pedal a kayak, Tyler clarified “What Luther tried to do at Bonafide was not as much about not using a pedal drive, but more about not taking the easy road and capitalizing on other companies’ work.” Tyler also said in regards to Luther’s stance on pedal drives that “His statement has always been that in order to offer a pedal drive, Bonafide would have to develop something that adds value to the marketplace. Now that the companies are merged, Bonafide could conceivably have access to the Native drive.”

Now that could definitely be interesting to the fans of the Bonafide. Tyler continued “Either way, as the new President of Big Adventures, I’m certain you’ll see him pedaling Native boats as well!”

The merger was set to be completed by October 31, 2019.

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Eric Nelson
Professional Kayak Bass Angler

Biography

I was born in Southeastern Massachusetts, where I began fishing for bass when I was in my early teenage years, graduating to competitive bass tournaments in my late 20’s. I moved to North Carolina in 2015 and found the passion for bass fishing from a kayak, and quickly became involved in both the local and national kayak bass tournament scenes. My fishing skills have allowed me to qualify for almost every major event since joining the clubs, be it at a club, state and even national level.

Being a professional in the online web development and design field for publications, I have always used my skills to help promote the clubs and the sport as a whole in my spare time.  I have been a part of the club directors for Cape Cod Bass, and now for Carolina Kayak Anglers, one of the larger kayak clubs in the country. I am also a part of the national KBF tournament advisory board.

The Kayak Bass Fishing (KBF) format has allowed me to travel across the United States, fishing against the best fisherman in the country. Now with the KBF Pro format, and the merging with the FLW organization, I am looking forward to where this adventure takes me in the future.

Highlights

Total Career Earnings - $3,250

Competition Highlights
Inaugural FLW / KBF Cup Championship Qualified 2019 - Hot Springs, AK
KBF National Championship Qualified 2020 - Lake Guntersville, AL
KBF Challenge Championship 2018 - Toledo Bend, LA
2019 KBF National Championship - 57th overall out of 462 anglers - Shreveport, LA
KBF Regional Trail Championship Qualified 2019 - Lake Wheeler, AL
KBF National Trail Championship Qualified 2019 - La Crosse, WI
2nd Place 2018 KBF National Trail - High Rock Lake, NC
2nd Place 2019 - Plastic Pirates - Randleman Lake, NC
11th Place - 2019 KBF Southeastern Region Trail - Santee Cooper Lakes, SC
13th Place - 2019 KBF Southeastern Region Trail - Chickamauga Lake, TN
46th Place 2019 FLW / KBF Cup Qualifier - Nickajack Lake, TN
2nd Place - Plastic Pirates - Randleman Lake 2019
1st Place - Cape Cod Bass,  2002 - Lake Winnipesaukee, NH
1st Place - Cape Cod Bass, 2008 - Glenn Charlie Pond, MA